Scott's Dance Biography

Scott Higgs began dancing in college, and started teaching soon thereafter (when the knowledgeable dancers graduated !). For over 25 years he has traveled the world (25 states and 6 foreign countries) calling for contras and English country dances. Dancers characterize Scott’s contras as “high-energy” and “swingy.” His English dance programs span the spectrum from exuberant to elegant.

Scott has composed dozens of dances in a range of styles, recently collected in a new book Key to the Cellar, co-authored with Jenny Beer. Scott's choreographies have been enjoyed all across the U.S. and Europe, and reprinted in anthologies in the U.S. and the U.K.

Scott has been a featured caller at Pinewoods Camp (20+ years in a row), Buffalo Gap, Mendocino, Ashokan, and Mainewoods Camps. Scott has also served as Program Director for several CDSS week-long programs, and designed and led special intensive courses for English Dance Leaders at Pinewoods.

For the succinct version of Scott's dance outlook, he generally just quotes his business card: "Playful, spirited, elegant, zesty, joyful Contra, English, Morris, and Couple Dancing." (see the Workshops page for a sampling of classes/sessions Scott can lead)

Scott’s leading has been featured across North America and parts of Europe.
Here are a few samples of week-long programs:

  • American Dance Week at Pinewoods
  • Campers Week at Pinewoods
  • Early Music Week at Pinewoods
  • English Dance Week at Pinewoods
  • English/American Dance Week at Pinewoods
  • English/Scottish Session at Pinewoods
  • Family Week at Pinewoods
  • Swing Into Summer at Pinewoods
  • Mendocino American Dance Week & English Dance Week
  • Ashokan Fiddle & Dance Camp Northern Week
  • Tropical Dance Vacation Weeks — St. Croix & Hawaii
  • Berea College Christmas Country Dance School
  • Lady of the Lake Music and Dance Week
  • Augusta Heritage Center Dance Week
  • Buffalo Gap Camp English/American Dance Week
  • Mainewoods Folk Dance Camp
  • Step Stately Tour – Leading English and contra dances on a tour of England
Special Weekends and Festivals – (Just a Sampling):
  • Dance Flurry (Albany, NY)
  • FolkMADness (Socorro, NM)
  • Eastbourne International Folkdance Festival (Eastbourne, England)
  • AACTMAD Dance Weekend (Ann Arbor, MI)
  • Rocky Mountain Dance Camp (Buena Vista, CO)
  • Adirondack Dance Weekend (Lake George, NY)
  • An English Trifle (Highfield-Cascade, MD)
  • Spring Dance Weekend (Antwerp, Belgium)
  • Across the Lake (Burlington, VT)
  • Ralph Page Memorial Weekend (Durham, NH)
  • Labor Day Dance Away (Julian, CA)
  • NEFFA (Mansfield, MA)
  • Pigtown Fling (Cincinnati, OH)
  • Champlain Valley Festival (Burlington, VT)
  • Lichfield Folk Festival (Lichfield, England)
  • Pinewoods 4th of July Weekend (Plymouth, MA)
  • Bayou Bedlam (Houston, TX)
  • Cascadia English Dance Weekend (Seattle, WA)
  • BACDS Spring & Fall Dance Weekends (La Honda, CA)
  • American Buffalo Weekend (Buffalo Gap, WV)
  • Suttle Lake Dance Weekend (Portland, OR)
  • Pinewoods Labor Day Weekend (Plymouth, MA)
  • John Campbell Folk School (Brasstown, NC)
  • Head for the Hills (Kunkletown, PA)
  • True Brit Weekend (Hopewell Junction, NY)
. . . and too many more to list . . .

(Updated Jan, 2020)